Abstract

Background
Perceived organizational politics is a common phenomenon in almost every organization and is associated with undesirable employee outcomes. Despite numerous studies on this important topic, studies describing the influence of perceived organizational politics on nurses’ outcomes (job satisfaction and stress) remain underinvestigated. This study examined the impact of perceived organizational politics on job satisfaction and job stress among nurses.

Methods
A quantitative cross-sectional design was used in this study. Two hundred and thirteen (213) nurses participated. Three standardized instruments were utilized: Perception of Organizational Politics, Job Satisfaction Scale, and Job Stress Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analyses.

Findings
Nurses perceived a high level of organizational politics. We identified a significant correlation between perceived organizational politics, job stress, and job satisfaction in nursing. The results showed nurses’ perception of organizational politics had a positive relationship with job stress and a negative relationship with job satisfaction.

Managerial implication
Hospital management should reconsider the organizational, group, and individual situations that create perceived organizational politics to prevent any unnecessary political behaviors in the hospital. Also, strategies to enhance nursing management and healthcare provision should be directed at reducing the use of politics to promote self-interest.

Originality/value
Our study provides a novel insight into the unexplored nature and impact of perceived organizational politics on nurses’ job satisfaction and stress in Ghana. It is the first research to investigate organizational politics using nursing population in the Ghanaian context and makes significant contributions to theory and practice.

Background

Organizations are made up of people with diverse values, attitudes, ideas, beliefs, values, and these differences affect the way these people interpret issues in the organization (Delle, 2013, Khan et al., 2020, Rughoobur-Seetah, 2022). These differences project how people’s subjective interpretation is linked with organizational problems such as politics (Asrar-ul-Haq et al., 2019). Hence, scholars have described organizations as political arenas (Rughoobur-Seetah, 2022). Organizations where politics are widespread provide an unfavorable work environment for people, which is not conducive to fostering positive work-related behaviors.

Perceived organizational politics (POP) has been defined as social influence attempts directed at those who can provide rewards that will help promote or protect the self-interests of the actor (Takeuchi, Yu, & Lin, 2022). Labrague et al. (2017) described POP as purposeful actions by individuals aimed at realizing one’s self-interest while ignoring the well-being of others or their organization. Such behaviors are mostly hidden and not consistent with the organizational rules and regulations but directly or indirectly affect the organization’s bureaucracies (Landells & Albrecht, 2019). In every organization, politics exist in different ways and is used to achieve individual goals and benefits, improve one’s professional career and gain resources or advantages from the organization (Landells and Albrecht, 2019, Zibenberg, 2021). Employees often get involved in organizational politicking to enhance their position at the expense of others, such as their colleagues.

Conclusion

We investigated the nature of POP and how it impacts nurses’ job satisfaction and stress. Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that organizational politics is a determinant of high levels of job stress and low level of job satisfaction among nurses. Since POP negatively affects individual nurses and the organization’s productivity, investigating strategies to reduce the effect of political behavior presents a big challenge to hospital managers. This call for a well-structured measure that will enhance both horizontal and vertical interactions among nurses is eminent. Thus, hospital managers should discourage and defuse political behaviors/activities by introducing transparency and accountability in nursing management, which holds promise for enhancing nurse satisfaction. Given this, nurses should be given equal opportunities to develop in their professions.

This study has examined the impact of POP on nurse job stress and job satisfaction. The study found that POP negatively affects job stress and satisfaction in nurses. The findings strengthened the contention that the prevalence of POP within the healthcare environment can trigger a negative reaction from the staff. Increased job stress and decreased job satisfaction in nurses can halt performance and productivity resulting in poor quality and efficiency of care. Therefore, hospital management should establish precautionary procedures and policies to tackle and eliminate political behaviors within healthcare organizations. These policies should include organization-directed and person-directed measures such as continued professional development, the adequate orientation of new staff, improving the work environment, use of clinical ladders for promotions, and enhanced salary.